1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a thermally insulating shipping container including a bottom piece, two longitudinal side pieces, two transverse side pieces and at least one cover piece, which enclose a shipping chamber and are made of an insulating material.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Thermally insulating shipping containers are known and are extensively used, for example, for shipping temperature-sensitive foods, such as frozen food, or also for shipping warm food. For the purpose of efficient and cost-effective production, along with good thermal insulation properties, such shipping containers are often integrally produced from a molded particle foam on the basis of a polyolefin, such a polypropylene, so-called EPP, or also on the basis of polystyrene, so-called EPS.
However, in connection with known shipping containers, it has been found to be disadvantageous that, because of their integrally one-piece manufacture, they are very bulky when not in use and thus require a large shipping volume.
On the other hand, shipping containers are known which do not have a thermally insulating function and which, when not in use, can be folded in a space-saving manner. However, the folding mechanisms employed cannot be transferred to the previously discussed thermally insulating shipping containers, because the hinged connections, which customarily comprise hinged shafts and hinged bearings for the foldable connection of the individual parts, cannot be applied to or embodied as foamed EPP or EPS parts.